Sent Home from School
by backstagespotlight
Summary: An addition to the Home, Sweet Home series. Falls between Loyalty and Homecoming. Fina gets herself into hot water and someone else is right there with her. I own nothing
1. Chapter 1

Fina stared at the boy, glared was probably a better term. Her posture was stiff, every muscle in her six year-old body coiled like a spring, ready to convert potential to kinetic energy and do some serious damage. Behind her stood Caleb Carter, the newest addition to their first grade class. His hair was longer than a typical New York boy's, hitting his shoulder with a slightly feminine outward flip. He wore glasses that constantly slid down on his nose and a slight allergy problem kept his sinuses a little blocked, lending a nasal twinge to his high voice. To Vinnie Posetti these were all invitations to tease Caleb, not that Vinnie really ever needed an invitation to tease anyone. Before today it had been verbal, taunting, making jokes, but Vinnie had just crossed a line with Caleb. Dangling from his pudgy hand was Caleb's treasured journal. Vinnie had read excerpts aloud to the gathering crowd and was now standing above a mud puddle.

"Give it back, Vinnie," Fina growled.

"What are you going to do about it, Angelface?" Vinnie asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she spat back at him. It was a phrase she had picked up from her father and uncle, and it did the job of intimidating quite well. But Vinnie would not be dissuaded. Instead, he tossed the journal, luckily clear of the mud, and swung at Fina. She easily blocked the blow. Caleb scurried to rescue the journal, but the crowd wouldn't let him. Vinnie swung again and was blocked again. Micah pushed his way to the front row of spectators. Fina and Vinnie circled, and Micah saw her strategy. She bent down to pick up the journal which was now at her feet. What she didn't see was Vinnie's foot headed in her direction. It connected with a sting of pain. When the foot pulled back to strike again, Micah jumped in the way. While he recovered, Fina saw red. she surged forward and delivered a few well placed hits to Vinnie's legs, causing him to fall, hard, but not before pulling her on top of him. Her chin connected with his mouth, knocking loose his front two teeth, which had only just come in. By this time they'd attracted the attention of the recess monitors, who hurried over to break them up. The three aides each took ahold of one child. Micah and Fina calmed and went compliantly, and Vinnie was too hurt to really fight much.

Vinnie was rushed straight to the nurses office, and Fina was handed a bunch of tissues to stem the bleeding of her chin. They sat and waited while the principal made phone calls. Fina's chin continued to drip blood, so a towel was brought from the nurses office along with an ice pack. She still hadn't shed a tear, something she'd picked up from her older brother. He still had stiches from a simliar chin injury he'd sustained falling up the front stairs of their house.

--

Danny was in his office working on paperwork and trying not to worry about his wife, stuck at home with their twin toddlers, who both currently had ear infections, and their year-old daughter who was getting into everything these days. He got a page from Adam and pushed back his chair, heading for the lab. He met up with Stella on his way. Adam was in the middle of explaining just exactly where he'd pulled the trace from when Danny's phone rang.

"Messer," he said.

"Mr. Messer, this is Therese Regent, I'm your daughter Serafina's principal. I need you to come down immediately."

"What happened?" he asked, "Is Fina okay?" At the mention of her goddaughter, Stella's head shot up.

"Physically she seems alright, though she does have a small laceration on her chin. But she's in trouble Mr. Messer and I need you to come down and meet with me right away."

"I'll be right there," he said. He hung up the phone.

"Is she alright?" Stella asked.

"Sounds like she split open her chin, but-" Danny began, but stopped when Stella's phone rang. She had a very similar conversation before turning back to Danny.

"Do you want to carpool? It'll save gas."

--

Danny entered the school and headed straight for the nurses office, expecting to find Fina on the cot. Instead he was directed toward the office, where his daughter sat, a towel wrapped icepack against her chin. He knelt down in front of her.

"Lemme see, Angel Girl," he cooed, gently coaxing the ice pack away. He had the distinct impression he should be taking crime scene photos of the chin, as the only other place he'd seen a laceration that deep was on victims.

"You always have to one-up your big brother, doncha?" Danny teased, guiding the ice pack back into place. Just then, a tall African American woman entered the room.

"Mr. Messer, Mrs. Flack, if you would please step into my office. Micah and Serafina should come as well." Her voice was strict and no-nonsense. Danny looked down at his daughter in amazement, it seemed like she'd been able to get into more trouble in her first six years than he had in all his first six grades. Mrs. Regent motioned for the two dectectives to take a seat.

"Your children were involved on a fight this morning at recess. It resulted in another child nearly loosing his two front teeth. I will have to suspend your children for the rest of this week." Danny and Stella stared at the principal, then at their children and then at each other. Micah was furious.

"HE started it!" the boy yelled, "He stole Caleb's journal and read it out loud to everybody. and then he was gonna throw it in the mud but-"

"Micah James Flack," Stella said firmly, "That is not an excuse. Let's go get your things."

"Do you mind getting Fina's stuff too, Stel?" Danny asked, "We have to go get this chin stitched up."

"Sure, Danny."

--

"Doug, you've got a chin lac in suture," a nurse said, handing over the chart. "Crime Lab detective brought her in."

Doug Ross walked into the suture room and was surprised to see the Detective cradling the little girl.

"Detective... Messer, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, good memory, but you can call me Danny." Doug leaned down to look the little girl in the eye.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Fina," she said, trying hard not to move her chin, which was set in a hard line.

"Well, Fina, lets take a look at that chin of yours, shall we?" he asked. He helped her lie down on the bed and genlty removed the towel she was holding to her face. The depth of the lacerations concerned him, as did the fact that there were two distinct marks.

"Well, now, Miss Fina," he said as he used sterile saline to clean the wounds, "You are being really really brave about this." He felt her flinch as he injected the novacaine. Her grip on Danny's hand tightened as Doug stitched, but not a single tear escaped her big blue eyes. When Doug finished, he told her to stay there for a couple seconds while he talked to Danny. The Detective placed a kiss on her forehead and followed Doug into the hall.

"How did she get that lac?" he asked.

"In a fight at school, aparently, she and a friend knocked another kid's front teeth out. That's not like her at all, not her style," the last part was said more to himself than to Doug.

"I think she took them out with her chin," the doctor commented, "There are actually two distinct wounds on your daughter's chin, about the size of average teeth. And I don't think I have to tell you that those things are deep." Danny nodded. Maybe the other kid wasn't so innocent after all. He thanked Doug and then collected Fina. But as he helped her down from the bed with a hand on each side of her, she flinched, grabbing at her left side.

"Angel Girl, what's wrong?" Danny said, gently lifting her shirt. A great big bruise was already darkening at the base of her ribcage. Doug held back a gasp and knelt to examine her side.

"Let's get an X-ray just in case," he said, handing Danny a note for the radiation department.

--

As Danny paced the Radiation waiting room, his phone rang. Seeing the caller id he wanted to kick himself.

"Hey Montana," he said quickly, "Fina's with me." Lindsay's sigh of relief was instantaneous.

"Thank Heavens," she said, "Gio just got home and he's worried sick. Is she alright? Why is she with you?"

"The school called me. She got herself in a bit of a scuffle and scraped her chin. I'm having a friend look her over, just in case. She also got herself suspended for this little stunt."

"Suspended?" Lindsay exclaimed, "Danny, she's in first grade!"

"Yeah I know," Danny sighed.

"Let me talk to her," Lindsay said, catching Danny off guard.

"Uh, well, see, the thing is-" just then, Fina and the Radiologist came walking down the hall. Danny handed the phone to his daughter then turned to the technician, who motioned him over to a light board. She placed and x-ray film on the board and indicated to Danny where there was a hairline fracture on one of Fina's ribs. Danny reached down and lifted his little girl gently in his arms, suddenly scared. He pressed a kiss into her dark curls before following the technician to a curtained area.

Thirty minutes, a wrap bandage and pain killer perscription later, the pair were back in the car on their way home.

"Daddy," Fina said, breaking the silence, "Micah shouldn't be in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, finally calm enough to hear her side of the story.

"All he did was get kicked so I wouldn't," she said, "He protected his family, just like you and Mommy and Auntie Stella and Uncle Flack are always tellng us to do."

"What did you do?" Danny asked.

"I just wanted him to give Caleb's journal back," she started, "So I asked nicely, then when he said no, I kinda acted like I was gonna hit him, but I wasn't really, honest. He threw the journal on the ground and I tried to pick it up, but he kicked me."

"Angel, where did he kick you?" Danny asked, already sure of the answer.

"Where I cracked my rib," she said, "He was gonna do it again, but Micah got in the way. I was really mad, so I kicked behind his knees, like I do with Gio, to make him fall down. But he grabbed me and I hit my chin."

"Who was this kid?" Danny asked.

"The meanest bully in school, Vinnie Posetti," she said, "He teases everybody." Danny remembered numerous times that Fina had come home crying because Vinnie Posetti said something nasty to her or one of her friends.

"You know, you were very brave today, and I believe you when you say that you didn't want this to get violent, but when you threaten someone, even if you aren't really going to hurt them, things get out of hand. Next time, you need to tell a teacher what's happening. That's why they have recess monitors at your school, kay?" he asked.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Now that we've got that lesson learned," Danny said, would you like a milkshake for being such a brave girl?"


	2. Chapter 2

Lindsay was waiting at the door when Danny and Fina arrived home. She immediately wrapped her little girl in a hug. Fina stiffened, protecting her injured ribs. Danny placed a hand on Fina's shoulder, pulling her back a little.

"Linds, be careful," he said. Lindsay looked up at him, speechless. It was Fina's voice that broke the ensuing silence.

"Daddy, I'm tired," she said. Danny took a moment to study his daughter's face. Her bright blue eyes were at half mast and their bright blue depths were missing the trademark glint that so often signaled trouble. He picked her up and she melted into him, much like she used to as a baby.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Lindsay asked, frantic. She stroked Fina's hair, feeling for a fever.

"She's just had a really long day, Linds. I'll explain it all later, promise," he said, kissing her cheek. Lindsay was going to protest, but just then little Anna started screaming bloody murder.

"Alexis Grace! Let our sister go!" Lindsay called, rushing off to separate the toddlers. Danny walked Fina up to her room. He gently placed her in the rocking chair and rooted around for her pajamas. He found them and helped his sleepy girl to her feet so she could change. Then he pulled back the covers and helped her climb into bed.

"I'm gonna go get you an ice pack for your rib, Angel," he said, brushing the hair out of her face and kissing her forehead.

"Do I have to tell Mommy?" she asked. Danny chuckled.

"I'll tell Mommy for you," he promised, "You try to rest."

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Sweet Angel." Danny closed the door and turned around to find Lindsay behind him, holding little Anna, giving him a _you-explain-right-now-Danny-Messer-or-you-are-on-diaper-duty-for-a-month_ glare. It might have worked, except Anna was giving her best one year-old imitation and was absolutely adorable.

"Montana, she's going to be fine," Danny promised.

"Danny, she's six years old and she should be running around, annoying her big brother and picking on her baby sisters. Instead, she refuses to let me hug her and she's tucked into bed at 4:30 in the afternoon," Lindsay was fighting back tears for Anna's sake. Danny wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the kitchen.

"I'm pretty sure she'd be in trouble for either of those things," he remarked cheekily.

"Danny, I talked to Stella. She told me that Micah got suspended for the same fight Fina was in. She also leveled with me about Fina's 'scrape.'" Lindsay watched as Danny filled two ice packs and wrapped them in towels. She stood up and looked him in the eye.

"Now I want you to level with me, Dan," she said, in a low, insistent tone. "How badly did our little angel get hurt?" Danny leaned back against the kitchen counter and let out a breath.

"She's got four stitches in her chin, and the kid cracked one of her ribs," he admitted. Lindsay gasped, tightening her hold on Anna.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The way I understand it, that Posetti kid she's always talking about was humiliating some kid and Fina threatened him," Lindsay started to say something, but Danny held up his hand to stop her, "We've already discussed that even threatening someone with violence only leads to trouble. Anyway, the kid got in a swift kick to her side and was goin' for another when Little Flack jumped in. Fina pulled her karate moves and ended up on top of the kid with his teeth in her chin. Then the recess monitors broke it up." Lindsay looked pale, so Danny guided her to one of the chairs that sat by the kitchen table. He encouraged her to take a deep breath.

"Why is it always her?" Lindsay's voice was a choked whisper, "It's like she's a trouble magnet. She can't seem to stay out of it." Danny chuckled.

"I told you naming her for Mac might lead to that," he joked, "So what did we do? We named her for both Mac and Stella. You got to admit, Linds, they've had their fair share of trouble." Lindsay cringed.

"I don't want to think of it like that," she said, very seriously, "Because we named our twins Aiden and Alexis." Danny's grin faded. He was unsure what to do at this point. His lame attempts to lighten the situation usually worked to some degree, but this time they hadn't gotten him so much as a hint of a smile.

"Montana," he said, his voice low and serious, "Go put Anna in her playpen and come back to Fina's room with me. You can see for yourself that she's going to be just fine." Lindsay nodded and moved to do what her husband instructed. When he reached Fina's room, she paused in the doorway, just to watch the scene unfolding before her eyes. Her daughter lay in bed, covers up to her chin, with Danny next to her. They were holding some whispered discussion which had them giggling. She watched as Danny tucked one icepack under the covers and one under Fina's chin.

"Do you ever wonder what they talk about?" her son's voice surprised her, causing her to jump.

"What do you mean?" she asked, already reasonably sure she knew the answer. The ten year-old shrugged.

"Those two always have some secret or another," he said, "I know Daddy doesn't play favorites, but they have something special and I wish I had that sometimes."

"You know," Lindsay admitted, "I wish Fina and I could be as close as she and your dad are, but she has always trusted him more. When she's sick and calls for Daddy it feels like she should be calling for me. But everyone is different. You and I have a different relationship than you and your dad. Your dad and I have a different relationship than you and Fina do. But that doesn't mean that anyone loves anyone else any more or any less." Gio nodded.

"Can I go talk to her?" he asked. Lindsay nodded. She watched as Gio crossed the room. The young boy pulled the rocking chair up close to the bed and sat down. Within moments Fina's small smile morphed into a huge grin. It was the first trace of "normal" Lindsay had seen since Fina and Danny had gotten back. There was something special in the bond between the two of them that ran deeper than the typical brother-sister bond. Maybe it was the four year age gap, or the fact that they were considerably older than the three youngest children in the house, but Lindsay wasn't sure she'd ever heard them truly fight. Bicker, yes. Disagree, of course. But never fighting to hurt each other.

Danny stood up and joined her in the doorway.

"You doing better, Montana?" he asked. She nodded.

"Much better."

Suddenly, Anna's piercing scream broke the moment.

"Alexis Grace!"

--

_So, this was going one way and suddenly took a huge detour and re-wrote itself. There's definitely more to come, including Micah's punishment, another parent meeting and other fun stuff. I'm headed to camp in a couple days, so I can't guarantee frequent updates, but then, I rarely can anyway. Let me know what you thought!_


	3. Chapter 3

Danny was scheduled to work the morning after Fina's fight, but it was Lindsay's day to watch the littlest girls. From the time that Gio had appeared in Lindsay's life, each of the Messers had done their best to each schedule one block of uninterrupted time with their kids each week. Danny and Fina's kidnapping had made them realize how important it was that they create memories for their children to carry on should something happen. Today, Lindsay had plans to take the three little girls to the zoo with some friends from their playgroup. Those plans were, of course, going to be disrupted because of Fina.

Danny woke up and stumbled into the shower. On his way down to the kitchen, he stopped to look into Fina's room. Little Anna was sleeping soundly in her crib, but Fina had the light on and was reading a book. Tear marks trailed down her cheeks and she had the book propped up on her legs so she could read with her chin held high. Danny slipped into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You hurtin', Angel Girl?" he asked, needlessly.

"Yeah," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I'll go get you some more medicine," Danny assured her. He stood to get up, but she grabbed his wrist.

"Daddy, does it always hurt this much when you break a rib?" she asked, innocently. Danny tousled her hair.

"Pretty much, kiddo."

"Remind me never to do it again," Fina groaned.

Danny chuckled as he walked out of the room, coming face-to-face with Lindsay. She looked adorable in her housecoat and bunny slippers. Danny leaned in and kissed her.

"Good morning, my love," he whispered. Lindsay glanced into the room he'd just left.

"She been awake long?" the concerned mother asked. Danny shrugged.

"Alls I know is that she's sore," he replied. He replayed their conversation as he walked to the kitchen for her medicine. He was pulling it from the fridge when Lindsay leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"How do we want to handle her punishment?" Lindsay asked. Danny sighed. With four of his children, Danny was the parent less likely to be strict, but things were different with Fina. Neither parent was willing to be strict with the little girl they'd nearly lost, but Danny was typically less reluctant than Lindsay.

"We can't let her spoil your play date," he said, considering, "She could always come to work with me."

"Dan, that's a privilege," Lindsay countered. The conversation was suspended while Danny gave Fina her pain medicine and tucked her back into bed. Lindsay silently watched from the doorway. She fought back tears at the stiffness visible in every movement her daughter made. When Danny emerged again, Lindsay nodded.

"She can go to work with you, as long as she stays on either your couch or Mac's. Give her some sort of assignment and some of the math supplemental worksheets her teacher sent home at the beginning of the school year. She doesn't get to hang out with Adam or Kendall or Hawkes," she laid down the law. Danny nodded.

--

That morning when Danny and Fina entered the crime lab, Micah was sitting at Stella's desk working on homework. Fina looked up at Danny, eyes pleading to be allowed to visit with her friend. Danny shook his head.

"You heard your mother. I don't want to get into trouble with her any more than you do."

"But she didn't know-" Fina tried to persuade him, shutting her mouth when he shot her a teasing glare. They walked to Danny and Lindsay's office and Fina reluctantly sat on the couch.

"Daddy, can I just sleep for a little bit? I'm pretty tired," she asked.

"Sure thing, Angel," he said. She snuggled timidly into the leather. Danny turned his back for a few minutes to collect his paperwork for the day and when he turned back she was sound asleep. Stella leaned in the doorway. She took one look at Fina and flashed Danny a knowing grin.

"Lindsay out on a scene?" she asked. Danny shook his head and explained the little girls' play date.

"Don and I tried to get time off for one of us, but no dice," Stella sighed, then reached for her pager as it went off. Danny did the same a moment later. He looked between Fina, Stella and his pager. Just then, Mac walked by. Danny flagged him down. Mac took in the little girl on the couch with a single raised eyebrow.

"She got in a bit of a scuffle at school and Lindsay was busy and now I have a scene and-" Mac silenced Danny's rambling by raising his hand.

"Don't worry, Danny, I'll keep an eye on her," Mac turned to Stella, "I can watch Micah too, if you want."

"You are a saint," Stella enthused.

"So I've been told," he chuckled, referring to his pregnant wife, Peyton. She was due any day and Mac's excitement was evident in his demeanor. He was great with all six of the lab family kids and was excited to finally be a father to his own little girl.

"Thanks, Mac," Danny said, clapping his boss on the shoulder as he left, "When she wakes up, she's got homework, and she knows what she's not allowed to do. She can have another dose of pain meds in two hours." He tossed the pills to Mac. The CSI supervisor looked to Stella for directions. She shrugged.

"No dessert unless he eats his veggies," she said, more of a question than a statement. He chuckled.

"Get going, you two," Mac ordered.

--

Fina stretched slightly as she woke up and winced at the motion. She opened her eyes and was surprised to find that she'd been moved during her nap. She was now on the larger, more comfortable couch that sat in her Uncle Mac's office.

"Good Morning, young lady," Mac said, looking up from his desk. His face was stern, unsmiling as he studied her. Fina squirmed, a little uncomfortable under his gaze. Her Uncle Mac was very clear, as was the rest of the Lab family, on the subject of school and staying out of trouble. All of the Messer kids, as well as Micah Flack had been taught from a young age how to behave and treat others. Fina still felt guilty about the fight, even more than usual while facing Uncle Mac. He was the Lab adult that all the kids considered the strictest.

"Morning, Uncle Mac," she said. He stood up and crossed over, sitting down beside her.

"Are you mad at me too?" she asked timidly.

"Should I be?" he asked, "The only thing your dad told me is that you got in some sort of scuffle."

"I was only standing up for someone else," Fina began. She retold the entire story, starting with Vinnie Possetti's early exploits and ending with the talk she and her father had had the afternoon before over their milkshakes. Mac listened to the entire tale attentively, inserting a few relevant questions where they were needed. When it was all done, Fina looked up at him hopefully.

"I'm not mad at you, Serafina," he said, "A little disappointed, but not mad. And I'm also proud of you. Do you know why?" the six year-old shook her head.

"Because you've learned from your mistake. You had good motives to begin with; you just went about things the wrong way. Now, you know that next time you'll only use violence if you've exhausted every other possibility and carefully considered every possibility."

"In other words, never," Fina said, drolly. Mac chuckled.

"Yeah, something like that," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. He stood.

"Now, your dad said something about homework."

--

_Sorry that I took so long. Summers are so hectic. Ironically I can't wait for school to start so I can sleep in. Figure that one out. Hope you like!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Try as I might, I simply cannot seem to awaken my muse. So this is my attempt at a Fall Break relaxing weekend writing session. I'm hunkered down with a bottle of water, a box of Cheez-its ®, a little bit of French Dark Chocolate, and some Without a Trace. _

_**And here we are, almost Thanksgiving and still haven't posted this chapter. Sorry for the delay.**_

--

Mac chuckled as he watched the interaction between Fina and Micah. He had found out in the first couple of minutes of listening to Fina talk exactly what the stipulations were for her being at the lab. So instead of playing side-by-side, like they usually did at the lab, they were making faces at each other through the glass of their respective parents' offices. Then Micah grabbed the phone and dialed, and Fina answered. Mac let them talk for a while before catching her eye. The guilty look on her face was priceless. She moved slowly to put the phone back in the cradle. It was not a moment too soon either, as the elevator doors opened up to reveal Danny and Stella. Each looked exhausted, but smiled brightly as hey greeted their children. Danny tenderly brushed hair out of Fina's face and inspected her chin. He handed her the smoothie he was carrying and then pulled a book from his pocket. He settled her in on the couch and began to read to her.

"If you had told me seven years ago that I'd see Danny Messer reading The Princess Bride to his six year-old, I would have laughed you out of town," Mac turned to find his heavily pregnant wife standing behind him, hands on her lower back. He leaned over and kissed her.

"How are you two today?" he asked her.

"We're doing fine, love," Peyton replied, rubbing at her back, "Just tired of being in the house so I thought we'd come see Daddy. So, what are Fina and Micah doing here?"

Mac explained the situation as best he could but had to stop midway through when Peyton announced that her water had broken.

--

Danny and Lindsay sat next to Flack and Stella in the principal's office at the elementary school.

"Mr. and Mrs. Messer, Mr. and Mrs. Flack, I hope you understand that discussing the actions of one student in the presence of another's parents is highly unusual," the tall woman leaned forward and met each parent's gaze.

"Trust me," Lindsay said, "We realize that and we thank you for accommodating our schedules. I speak for all of us when I say that there isn't much we haven't already shared about or children and with as close as we are, anything would be shared anyway." The principal nodded.

"Well, I can say that your children are by far the youngest kids I've had to suspend to date. I would like to hear their side of the story."

Danny took it upon himself to be the one to tell the tale, having heard it straight from Fina's mouth. As he finished his re-telling, the principal nodded, considering. She turned to Stella and Flack.

"It seems to me like your son was not the problem here. In all of the versions of this story he's never thrown a punch, just taken one. I feel comfortable that his suspension is punishment enough if not too harsh." Stella nodded gratefully.

"As for Serafina," she continued, "from everything I've heard, she's the one responsible for starting the fight." She held up her hand to stop Danny's protest. "She's also a very bright, happy, responsible student who has never been a discipline problem before. I was very surprised when she was brought to the office."

"According to my little girl, that boy has a long standing history of bullying other students," Danny said, immediately coming to his daughter's defense.

"Mr. Messer, we have been monitoring his behavior closely and he has never been physically combative before the incident with your daughter."

"Fina is a good kid," Danny insisted, "She's only six years old. She's had a very serious conversation about this with both myself and her godfather and she understands that what she did was very wrong. Can we just consider the suspension and the lectures enough?"

The principal considered this. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, before running both hands over her face. This had been a very long week and it was beginning to wear on her. Therese really adored little Giovanni Messer who was always willing to lend a hand with the younger children in the after-school program and she had enjoyed getting to know his younger sister as well. Their father was right, they were good kids, she'd never seen them fighting with each other, let alone any of the other kids. They respected authority and responded well to rebuke, answering with only a simple "Yes, ma'am" or "No, sir". She could only imagine the toll two lectures had taken on little Fina, even delivered in the gentle manner she knew Danny Messer would have taken with his precious daughter.

"Considering that she has no history of outbursts like this, and since I feel that the main issue has been handled at home, I will allow Fina to return to school on Monday." Both Danny and Lindsay thanked her profusely, then stood to leave.

"Will I see you all at the school fundraiser next week?" the principal asked.

"Most of us," Lindsay answered, "Depends who's on shift"

--

That night was Lindsay's night with the older kids and Danny's turn to wrestle the three littlest girls into bed. Aiden was the easiest, she always sat quietly through her bath and snuggled under her covers willingly. Alexis was the kind of child who would jump out of the bathtub with shampoo in her hair and run around the house in her birthday suit. She was in rare form tonight, with an encore performance in her pajamas. Little Anna was the worst of all. Her status as the lowest Messer on the totem pole had created a firecracker. She was a screamer with the lung capacity of an opera singer. She would also buck and kick to the point that Danny had nearly dropped her several times and Lindsay actually had once. She'd only fallen a few feet onto Fina's bed, but it had scared both mother and daughter. Tonight, however, she had been worn out by the babysitter, so she was almost asleep in the bathtub. Danny smiled as he rocked her gently before laying her back down.

Danny paused in the living room doorway and his heart nearly skipped a beat. His beautiful wife sat on the couch, their daughter's head in her lap and their son seated at her feet. Their latest family chapter book was open on her lap, and she was reading softly, making the characters come alive by differentiating the character's voices, adding accents when needed. He stood in the doorway until she finished and the kids trudged wearily up the stairs toward their respective rooms. He kissed the top of Fina's head and hugged Gio as they walked past. Then he pulled Lindsay into his arms and let her rest against him for a long moment.

"You're on call tonight, right?" she asked. Danny nodded.

"Then let's get you to bed too, Daddy," she whispered. They changed into pajamas and were asleep a few minutes later.

--

"Dan," Lindsay groaned, shaking her husband awake. He rolled over and grabbed his phone.

"Messer" he yawned. Lindsay shoved him.

"It's Alexis, not Central," she said, "She just got sick and she needs another bath." Lindsay pushed Danny out of bed. He landed with a thump and groaned before getting up and tucking his wife into bed. He wandered into his twin girls' room and found Alexis had already almost fallen asleep again. He picked up the two year-old and took her to the bathroom, where she continued to doze, even as he stripped off her soiled clothes. He put her in Anna's bath seat after running warm water into the tub.

"Daddy?" he heard Fina's voice from across the hall. He bit back a swear word as he realized that the light from the open bathroom door was shining into Fina's face.

"Go back to sleep, Angel," he whispered loudly.

"It hurts, Daddy," she whispered back. Danny sighed.

"Can you hold on while I get Alexis cleaned up?" he asked. Fina responded in the affirmative.

By the time Danny had Alexis bathed, in fresh pajamas and under clean sheets, Fina had fallen back to sleep. Still, he fetched her pain medication and a glass of water from the kitchen and padded into her room. He stood for a minute to watch her sleep. Her expression wasn't as angelic or peaceful as it usually was. Instead, her frown and furrowed brow took Danny back to their time as hostages. She'd always looked like that when she fell asleep after one of her times alone with their kidnappers, like she had her guard up. He knelt down next to her bed and rubbed a gentle hand over her back. She drowsily swallowed her medicine then rolled over and was asleep again in minutes. Danny placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, Fina Mac," he whispered.

--

_So, very late in coming, a little disjointed, but I like it. Let me know what you think. Also,, I'm considering writing an alternate version of the timeline of __Welcome Home, Marine__, let me know what you think of that idea._


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